The Genesee/Finger Lakes Regional Planning Council is working in collaboration with the Genesee River Watershed Coalition of the Conservation Districts, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, Southern Tier West Regional Planning and Development, and Southern Tier Central Regional Planning and Development to update the watershed implementation plan of the 2015 Genesee River Basin Nine Key Element Watershed Plan for Phosphorus and Sediment to focus and accelerate water quality improvements in the Genesee River basin.

New York’s Great Lakes Action Agenda 2023 (GLAA) guides management of the Great Lakes basin in New York, of which the Genesee River is a major component. Goal 2 of the GLAA focuses on the important priority of reducing sediment, nutrient, and pathogen loading within the New York’s Great Lakes basin to protect drinking water quality, aquatic life, recreational uses, and human health. In 2015 the Genesee River basin was the first watershed in New York State where a Nine Element Plan was completed to address water quality concerns. The goal of this plan was to reduce the amount of two pollutants, phosphorus and sediment, entering the Genesee River, its tributaries, ponded waters, and Lake Ontario. The 2015 plan built off previous monitoring and modeling work that had been done in the Genesee basin, including work completed by Dr. Joe Makarewicz and others at SUNY Brockport (please see the Genesee River Watershed Project Volumes 1 – 6 in the Resources section of this page for links to this work).

The Genese River Watershed Implementation Plan currently being developed seeks to update the implementation strategy for the 2015 nine element plan and refocus implementation efforts in a strategic way to accelerate progress towards achieving the nutrient and sediment reduction goals outlined in the 2015 plan.

Please use this Survey123 to submit projects that you/your organization or municipality plan or aspire to implement. All projects must be located within the Genesee River basin and need to reduce inputs of sediment and/or phosphorus to the Genesee River, its tributaries, or ponded waters. Projects can include, but are not limited to, stormwater retrofits, wastewater treatment system improvements, tree planting efforts, septic system inspection/maintenance programs, streambank stabilization, local ordinances, and agricultural best management practices.

This survey is for planning purposes and submitting a project here in no way limits what sources of funding can be pursued for that project. Similarly, submitting a project through this survey does not constitute an application for funding nor does it guarantee funding from any state, federal, or local funding programs.

Are you interested in improving water quality in the Genesee River watershed and want to be involved with the development of this Watershed Implementation Plan? Please complete this brief survey (https://forms.office.com/g/rqLpcPF5rw) to join the Watershed Advisory Committee!